The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. is a national holiday that was established over 30 years ago as a day of remembrance and service.

It is that vision that brought more than 80 Utica High School students together on Monday to answer a call made by the civil rights leader more than 50 years ago.

“We are supposed to go out and give back to our community on this day, and I thought we could do something here at Utica High School to make a difference,” said one of the event’s organizers, Briana Henig. “We decided to create a day here at Utica where students could come together for service projects and have fun with it.”

Henig – along with seniors Matthew Zaleski, Brendon Haightcock and Grace Veenstra – invited the students to volunteer supporting three charities – Cards for the Military, creating bracelets for Operation Gratitude and making blankets for children in need through Project Linus.

The event also included a service essay for students on “How an individual’s service could make a difference.”

Event organizers began working on the project two months ago with their National Honor Society and school administration. Invitations were issues to all students through school clubs.

While they worked quickly under a short timeline, organizers created what they hope is an annual event that far exceeded their expectations.

“I think for the amount of time we had we did very well and I am so proud so many people actually came out to help,” Henig said.

Henig said the experience is something that will follow her into the future as she pursues a degree in economics.

“I think it is important to spend time on the day involved in a service project, and it is something that I plan to continue to do,” she said.